Renovation backlog at schools: Thuringia's municipalities remain steadfast despite problems

Renovation backlog at schools: Thuringia's municipalities remain steadfast despite problems

The need for renovation of schools is currently a hotly debated topic in Thuringia. According to its calculations, the State Audit Office recommends that school authorities consider possible school closures, but most municipalities appear unimpressed. A survey by the German Press Agency has shown that school authorities want to hold on to their buildings, despite the need for significant renovation. The shocking figures from the Court of Auditors alone show that the construction requirement was determined to be around 1.1 billion euros for eleven school authorities. This situation prompts the report by n-tv, which describes the major challenges in the education sector.

As the Thuringian Ministry of Education predicts, the number of students will decline sharply in the coming years. The Unstrut-Hainich district and Erfurt in particular are faced with the difficult decision to discuss school closures in the event of declining student numbers. But while the capacity utilization of schools in Erfurt is sometimes over 100 percent, the municipalities are planning a transparent approach to school network planning, as can be seen in the report by MDR.

Need for renovation in numbers

According to projections by the Court of Auditors, the need for renovation for all schools in Thuringia amounts to a total of 3.3 billion euros. In 2023, 28 school buildings and sports halls were examined by eleven school authorities. The budget requirement for these providers therefore amounts to an impressive 1.1 billion euros. Around half of the schools visited do not meet the structural requirements for modern learning or accessibility requirements. Universities and the GEW Thüringen are therefore demanding that state politicians act together with the municipalities to improve the infrastructure in schools.

The city of Erfurt has a particularly high need for renovation. 340 million euros are needed here for 81 school buildings and 47 sports halls. Jena faces a need of 88 million euros, while the Unstrut-Hainich district estimates an investment gap of 80 million euros. On the other hand, the city of Weimar is relatively well positioned, as almost all schools and sports halls have been renovated and a total of 53 million euros have been invested in the buildings since 2009.

The role of trade unions and politics

The GEW Thuringia takes a clear position and calls on the ministries to resolve the investment backlog in the school sector and to ensure adequate school supplies. The chairwoman of the GEW, Kathrin Vitzthum, emphasizes the need for a solid infrastructure for learning and points out the large regional differences in spending on school buildings in Thuringia. According to her statement, it is urgently necessary for the state government to expand the school construction investment program and also support the municipalities.

In the midst of this backlog of renovations, the desire of local authorities not to have to close schools seems understandable. Despite the tense financial situation and the high investment requirements, it is noted that school utilization often remains high. The hope remains for better financial resources and solid planning in the next few years in order to make the educational landscape in Thuringia future-proof.